It was a slow day and a slow start, not that it needed to be done fast.  We took our time with only 8km to walk.  The heat especially on the road has been really hard.  I think we just need to get back into the rhythm of things and do our early starts to beat the heat.  We got all packed up and ready to go, but first we need breakfst.  We got a small amount of Museli from my cousins house and we already had powdered milk.  Rowan poured the water into each cup and added the powder and we stirred our own cups.  Once the water turned into milk he opened the museli, argh it is full of weavels!  Well that is going into the bin I say.  Rowan said he is still going to drink the milk.  I take a sip “It tastes like playdough.”  Rowan takes a sip “Yes, it definitely does.”  We crack up laughing realising that it was flour not powdered milk.  We are in fits of laughter we probably woke up any sleeping campers.  Oh well a museli bar each will have to do.  At the half way point we find some shade and eat some honey sandwhiches.  We end up sitting there so long we get over taken by a French hiker who is going a lot further than us. 

Not far from our destination and Rowan yells “I though you don’t get snakes in New Zealand?!”

We arrived at the reserve and was pleasantly surprised.  We didn’t think it would be as nice as what it is.  We are surrounded by farms and wasn’t expecting much of a bush.  The birds are noisy and the bees are busy.  There is a little open shelter with chairs to sit on and a kitchenette to use.  It is all free but there is a donation box, so I will be sure to leave something.  There are people visiting but no one else has come to stay.  You can come in a tent or self contained vehicle.  I fall asleep on the couch in no time. 

As I am writting this on the picnic table a couple of duckles came along

We both gota bit dehydrated today as we were so exposed where we walked.  Just had a solar shower, which was luke warm but better than cold!  Dinner was butter chicken that we got from a Pataka Kai, not bad at all.

Rowan is not feeling 100%, we decide to hitch a little bit further to Bulls.  There is a campground there and it is a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel!  We set off and get some breakfast at Subway.  Whanganui is a bit of a strange town.  Not many people around and I wonder how the businesses survive.  There also quite a lot of homeless people.  Apparently all the freedom camping sites around the area are full of people that are not able to find a home.  We have a few items like extra pills and op shop finds we need to post.  At the post office it is all closed up but one entry, the bags are behind the counter to stop people stealing them.  Rowan also needed to post back his Grandmas ID that he accidentally took home with him.  Our lovely neighbours back in Brooklands are taking our parcel, not that I forewarned them but they’re awesome!  We headed out of town and needed to walk about 4km to get to the right road to hitch.  It wasn’t long and a Swift picked us up.  The man was a missionary who is over looking after his father who is about to pass.  He told us all about his work (don’t worry Rowan was on his best behaviour, I just sat in the back watching the landscape pass by.  He told us a Jesus would pick up hitchhikers and it isn’t very Christian not to help people in need.  I can’t complain can I?  It got me a ride.  At the end of the ride he prayed for us.

Once in Bulls we had a quick kilometre to walk to arrive at a trail angels place to pick up a package my Nana sent to us. It had a new credit card, some paper maps and a charging dock for a smart watch Rowan scored for $2 at an op shop. From there it was another kilometre to the local campground. We got there and set up our tent. This is the first campground we have stayed at with a pool and a spa! Will have to make use of that later. By the time we faffed around we didn’t go back into town till 2pm. We got some lunch and some food for dinner. We are very close to the Taurarua Ranges that we thought it would be smart to keep our freeze dried food. Most people take 3-6 days to walk the area. We will be more like 10-15 days hehe. Tomorrow we are taking it fairly easy and aiming for a 9km-ish day. We need to ease these fat bods back into it. Plus I am feeling this heat, my hands and feet keep swelling!

For the afternoon we relaxed and read our book, had a small discussion on where we are heading and planning ahead. We took a dip in the pool then hopped into the spa to read our books. Eventually I got out and had a shower, by this time it was dinner time. I have been writting this since Rowan started getting it ready and now we have finished eating. Totally forgot about Guy Fawkes and now someone at the campground is setting them off. Lucky for us the kids sound devastated and scared so I don’t think they will set any more off.

The day started a bit late, Rowan was hard to wake and hasn’t had a very good sleep in a while so I let him lay in a bit. We had a chat to Alan the cyclist before heading off. At cowboy time 10.10am we had our thumbs out, it was raining and we got soaked. We stayed there for 20min before walking further down the road. By the time we were walking through Manunui we started regretting leaving our warm dry tent. At this point we were pretty soaked the rain had come down harder. We decided to walk to the intersection that turns off to Turangi. Now we have been hitching for over an hour and feeling a bit deflated and hungry. We go to walk back to the servo and I say should we try get to Turangi where we will be on highway 1. We debate it for a bit and end up splitting up. Rowan on the turn off to Turangi and I am on the road to Whanganui. Bam, I have two rides offered within half an hour, one a single cab ute which obviously can’t take us both. The other who seemed a bit dodgy and could have fit us both in but only wanted to take me phew. We were chatting again about staying split up and Rowan said he will just sit down to look less big and scary. He had just taken off his pack and gone to sit down and boom, a nice man said he could take us to Owhango. Just over 2 hours to get our first ride of the day.

We decided to stay at the spot he left us for 30min and if no one came along we would walk back to the cafe we passed and get some food. Not long and a lovely couple in a nice Ford pulled over. Jan & Barry were heading to Ohakune and said they could drop us off a bit further down the road. Extremely easy to talk to and we got along well. The 40min or so in the car went by in a flash. They even dropped us a bit off track for them to Raetihi, outside a cafe. We thanked them for the ride and let them know I blog our journey. We sat down in the Coach Cafe and we get a cheap meal $19 plenty of tasty food, the best way to describe it “like going to your local chippy & bakery turned into sit down restaurant.”

After lunch we walked down to the main road to hitch. I stuck out my thumb but the traffic was very minimal. We had two blokes opposite us building a fence. One came over to chat. I realised we were only a few metres from the holiday park and Rowan said we will go until 3.30pm and if we get no ride we will stay here. A stranger came up to us and gave us some cardboard to write up a sign (thanks Barry for that pen!). Our other sign got wet so we ditched it. After a sign was made and I had some fun being silly the man came back and had an idea on how to get us a ride. “What type of coffee do you drink?” Latte’s we responded. “I will go get you some coffee and by the time I am back you will be gone.” Well the trick didn’t work but it was extremely nice of him to buy us coffee. 4min until we give up and a nice fella named Sarne picked us up, he had been working at The Blue Duck. He had completed the Te Araroa back in 2012. Chatting all the way the Whanganui, he dropped us off in the centre of town. We made it to the pharmacy 10min before 5pm.

Rowan was happy to have his pills. We start looking for an airbnb or hotel to stay at. Unfortunately the campground is way out of town and the freedom camping areas don’t allow tents. Rowan finds a hotel for about $100. We walk into the Grand Hotel and ask what it costs for a room and he said we can go check it out first if we like and hands us a room key. We head upstairs and I open the room, first I thought no one has made the beds. Then I hear a timid voice “Hello?” Oh no there is someone in the bed, I apologise profusely and back out of the room. Feeling bad and wondering if this is a place I want to stay. Well we end up booking online as it was cheaper than at the front desk, which is strange as they pay fees for people to book with booking.com. we get up to our room and I take my boots of yay, happy feet. Rowan is coming down with whatever the Cambridge kids had and it takes us a while to make a dinner decision. We end up with a meal from Noodle Canteen that we take back to our room. Hopefully Rowan feels okay in the morning, he is asleep already.

On the road, heading south.  Our destination Whanganui, for several reasones, one the South Island needs to be done prior to winter.  Two the Tararua Ranges need to be done too, not as dangerous as the south but a lot easier in summer.  Three let’s make life easier by having a few days walk prior to climbing a mountain range.  Four Whanganui river will be a highlight of the trip and walking past it won’t be as good of an ending to our endeavour. 

Lucky for us I have a cool cousin who detoured and dropped us off at highway 3, just south of Hamilton (I hope you were not too late for work Anita!).  From there we walked roughly 1km to get a good spot to flick a thumb out.  The fog had arrived and I wasn’t sure how long it would take on a 100km road.  8min later a lovely German man picked us up and took us to Te Awamutu.  From there we walked about another 1km to make sure we were out of town to get a ride.  I had my thumb out for a bit and it wasn’t a good spot.  So we walked along with the thumb out to find a better spot and bam our second ride picked us up.  He wasn’t going far just to Kihikihi but he had a cute puppy named Luna who was very lovable.  Left in a fantastic location our third ride came along minutes later.  A kind wahine who told us all about her.  She was on her way to Te Kuiti and was happy to have company.  Fourth ride was Travis, he was on his way to New Plymouth and was more than happy to take us to the turn off to Whanganui.  Here I thought our luck would run out, the road was very quiet and minutes between cars coming.  I was wrong, 5th car to come past was a man on a mission.  He has a shop in Taumarunui, we squeezed into his box body truck and off we went.  Along the way he told us about immigrating to New Zealand with his family and how much he prefers it here.  Not long in the car he stops so we can take a picture of the view, he takes a picture of us too!

Before we know it we are in Taumarunui and it is only 12.15pm! Not bad going at all. I don’t know what goes wrong but 3 hours later we still don’t have a lift. One guy stopped to get us a taxi driver, and I politely declined. Anothed lady stopped but she was going in a different direction, she said we should stay where we are, well she was wrong. We got a few cat calls, one who thought we were American (I guess we are fat enough). The other was a “Show us your tips!” Unfortunately they were too far away for me to call back “Only if you show me your dick first.” Other strange reactions were older white haired folk giving us very disapproving shakes of their heads while saying no. Luckily 4km down the road is the campground and it is on the Whanganui river. After 4 hours with no luck we hitch and walk our way to the campground. One lady stops to see where we are heading and she is the campground owner. Rowan says “we will probably see you at your place.” A man on a bike who we recognised from Town arrived at the campground. He is touring around New Zealand by cycling. Alan has been cycling around the world for 5 years.

Tomorrow we plan to walk another 3km to get us on the turn off to Whanganui, fingers crossed we get picked up. The campground is really nice, I am listening to the river now and it is quite soothing.

Monday morning (labour day). I have brunch in Wynard Quarter with Emma & Clare. It is really nice having no kids to distract us and we enjoy the time together. Rowan comes to pick me up, we head to Onehunga dressmart outlet mall to find a backpack. We end up getting one from Macpac for Rowan. Then off to my Dad’s place to drop off all our extra gear. He is happy to store it for us. I get a chance to see Sue (Dad’s wife) and have a quick catch up. On the road heading for Cambridge to see my cousins. Rowan was sorely missed by Nellie’s kids and I said to him we better visit.

Well a few nights turned into a week, we cleaned and organised their house. There are a lot of people living under one roof and the biggest issue is storage, nothing has a place for it to go. Rowan cooked up a storm everyday, the kids and mums were very appreciative. I had a chance to help out in Rotorua where my aunty is putting her house on the market for sale. We of course op shopped around the area and we ended up with quite a few goodies, only some small jewellery items for ourselves. I got to go a little crazy with buying stuff that was needed for the house, extra kitchen items mostly. But also got a few coffee tables. Rowan and I really need more time and dollars and we could have a good storage system in the garage which would eliminate majority of the problem. There is just no where for the stuff to go. Our plan was to leave Tuesday but after getting back late from Rotorua and eating late it was midnight before we were in bed. We ended up just staying one more night which everyone was happy about. It was a really hot day so I got all the washing up to date and cleaned the bathrooms. Rowan cooked Thai curry for dinner. We enjoyed our stay at the Cambridge Marae.

We head off to Silverdale shops, Specsavers, Kathmandu and Macpac on the list. My glasses are only 3 months old and the frames are loosing their colour, so I took them in to replace them. They don’t sell the frame anymore so I have to pick a completely different one. From there we go to Albany to Bivouac, Hallensteins and Kathmandu. Kathmandu is having a sale and Rowan needs a few items so we decide to head to the outlet store in Onehunga. Rowan gets a new merino top, a SPF 50 shirt and some new camp pants. From there we head to Howick to get some printed maps of the trail that someone was discarding. Finally off to Dad’s in Beachlands for lunch. We spend a few hours at Dad’s and I take photos of his Chevy as promised for Grandpa. We left Dad’s around 6pm, we ended up having fish and chips for dinner at the local place in Manly.

Saturday is a bit of a blur, we did more tidy up jobs. We completely repacked for what we needed and didn’t need. We had a lot of stuff to leave behind. Clothes from the wedding, extra gear we didn’t need, a packraft and much more. I got our clothes and retreated them with permethrin.

Sunday is here, the reason I am still in Auckland. Kings of Leon here I come. I purchased these tickets a long time ago and now they are finally able to come with no restrictions. Rowan was coming but we both decided my sister Clare would appreciate the second ticket more. Clare booked us in at the Stamford Plaza for the night. After saying my goodbyes to the grandies I met Clare in Silverdale. We headed in to check in. We were there early so we went for a walk around downtown, when we got back our room still wasn’t ready. Luckily they gave us a different room, finally upstairs and we had a few beers with cheese and crackers. We are enjoying some time relaxing and Clare convinces me to put makeup on to help pass the time. Time goes fast all of a sudden and we head out to dinner. We end up at Harbour Eats which gives you a huge variety to choose from.

By the time we eat it is time to arrive for the opening act. The Temper Trap opens and are really good. Between them and Kings of Leon they put on the big screens cameras showing fans in the crowds. It started with laughing and cheering and ended up with a lot of kissing towards the end. It got more and more risky the longer it went on. My favourite ones were the obviously heterosexual men snogging each other. The crowd went wild for them! I would expect it would get more nudity if it had a chance to go on longer. Kings of Leon played really well and played a lot of different songs from their 8 albums. It was great to have a huge variety of songs. Clare and I really enjoyed the people watching. Once it was over we walked back to the hotel. There were so many people it was really safe and easy to get back. Both pooped I was out in a matter of minutes.

Good morning,

It took me a few minutes of sleepy waking to realise I wasn’t hearing things and there was in fact a cow outside the tent munching on grass. I poked my head out and sure thing there she was. You would think I would know that sound from a mile away. The best bit was the other cows obviously upset that she was loose and mooing loudly waking everyone. We had breakfast before heading out. Rowan asked where do you want to go? I said back. We really have a list longer than I want it to be and I want to feel free while we are walking. So we aim for Wellsford and I call my sister to let her know we are heading her way and we will organise dinner. As we got to the peninsula so late I wanted to explore it a bit more, so we headed off down the road and had a good nosy. Before we knew it we were on the waterfront in Mangonui, a nice spot with lots of shops. Then onto Hihi where I remember staying as a kid and my sister falling out of the bunk one night and smack onto the wooden floors. Rowan and I take a walk on the beach there. Then we detour down to Taupō Bay, which is still very chill and lots of old bach homes. From there we head through Kerikeri and go west to Ōkaihau to get onto highway 15. Quite a scenic route. We come across the Twin Bridges which I don’t remember, so it is all new to me. A frozen fruit flow stop at Maungatapere keeps us going. Rowan is doing most of the driving today and I play passenger. The road meets up with highway 1 in Otaika south of Whangarei. From there we head to Wellsford to the 4 square. On Clare’s deck Rowan is cooking dinner as much as he can while waiting for her to arrive home. I unpack what we need and catch some evening sun.

Thursday, on the move with a list of jobs to complete. We can’t help but go to a few op shops in Warkworth before heading to Kiwibank in Orewa. Surprisingly we get to sit down and chat straight away, no waiting or coming back for an appointment. All the options are presented to us and we get informed the interest rate is going up again tomorrow. It is good knowing our options and we will make a decision in the next few days. Off to Silverdale shops to go to Macpac & The Warehouse. Then we head back to Nanas so I can get some washing done and we can treat some of our clothes with permethrin. I take apart my Leki poles to give them a thorough clean. Now to make a plan for tomorrow morning, we have a few shops further south to go to.

I wake fairly early, I get moving as I don’t feel the need to stay much longer. We hit the road, but before we leave the area lets check out the other lake. There is an old building like a boat club, it is now part of the council I am not sure what they use it for now. There is boat access but no camping at this other lake. Off to the Waipoua Kauri Forest, I don’t stop for gas, it is rather low but I risk it. The forest is stunning, you can feel how old it is. There is quite a bit of Kauri die back, I am guessing that is why the visitors centre is closed. I miss heard Rowan and drive right past the Kauri Walk stop, we will have to do it another time. It is quite a long beautiful windy drive. Almost feels like you are leaving the forest then you come across Tane Mahuta which is a compulsory stop. Incredibly big, the boardwalk to it is well maintained and even has disabled access which is great to see. We are the only ones there, to take in the magnificent sight.

Carrying on, we stop in a small town for gas, it was rather low but no light on and easily made it. We get to Ōmāpere and lookout from the top, by this time we are ready for breakfast. Between Ōmāpere and Opononi there is a group of shops. We have breakfast at the Thai Restaurant, which sounds funny but they become more of a cafe during the day. The coffee and food is really nice, and has a good view from the deck. On the road again, I fly past a sign for Kotu Boulders. I am not sure how many u-turns I have preformed but quite a few on this trip. I follow the dirt road and we miss the turn off to them. Someone has taken down the signs, our guess is a local who doesn’t want tourists looking at them. Good ol’ google shows us where to go. Now don’t get excited these are a sadder version of the Moeraki Boulders and even those are not that exciting to look at. Don’t get me wrong it is cool to have a look at them once, but they get a lot of fuss for a mound of rock. These Kotu boulders don’t have the crystal inner and don’t get the same effect with lot’s of other rocks around. However we enjoy the leg stretch and the walk along the water.

Driving along we pop into Rawene, a place and a Dulux colour. We used this colour on our house in Spencerville. The town is quaint but quiet busy as there is a car ferry which runs all day. Back out we head for Kaikohe, it is rather busy there with the Twin Coastal Cycle Trail. We go to two op shops and find an ivory bead necklace (we collect ivory to remove it from circulation). From Kaikohe we head to Kerikeri for some lunch and of course a little op shop around. We make a plan to head all the way up to the Karikari Peninsula. We do take the scenic route past Matauri Bay. I enjoy the view and we make a few stops along the way. When we reach Coopers Beach we see the butcher and 4 square for supplies. I really don’t like the vibe here, and I am quite happy to leave. We decide to head to the furtherest point on the Karikari Peninsula which is Maitai Bay. You can’t go any further as it is Ngati Kahu, Maori land. It is well cared for and I am glad to see there is a Rahui (no seafood collecting) in the area. The DOC site is basic, but perfect for us. We choose the lower one. There is over a hundred sites here and must get rather busy in the summer. Rowan has a swim at Maitai Bay, I only get in up to my knees. We have a cold fresh water shower after. There is no nudity allowed at the camp so we keep our underwear on. We picked the perfect spot, thinking no one else will show up later than we have. How wrong we are, another 5 lots of people show up in their self contained vehicles. Nevermind it is only one night. There is however someone playing rave music and I swear it is the same song over and over again as the bass never changes.

Heading north, with no real plan. What is the plan? Not to really have a plan. I tell Rowan I really want to go to Kai Iwi Lakes, I haven’t been since I was small. First main stop is The Kauri Museum, it has just reopened and we take a wee peek, the fee is $25 each which isn’t cheap and I am not in the mood to really get our money’s worth. I suggest to Rowan we do it when we really want to do it, and ready to read everything. The lady says it takes most people an hour, I can’t help but think we could do so many other activities that cost the same but take longer. Rowan’s value for money is rubbing off on me. Rowan and I stare at this random looking hill from miles away, it looks out of place in the landscape. Tokatoka Peak is a steep 700m return trip. I have to crawl up a lot of it, the hill gives me vertigo. At the top you get amazing 360 degree views. We have a kiss and a cuddle at the top, we had to stop after a while for fear we may fall off.

A u-turn takes us out to Maungaraho Rock Reserve, which is a pretty impressive sight. To do the loop track and up to the summit we need 4 hours, there are ropes and ladders to help get you up. This is a definite walk we would like to do, perhaps on the way back. We reach Dargaville in the afternoon and head down to Glinks Gully which has a council run camping spot. Google says it is closed temporarily so we try our luck and see if Google is wrong. We are lucky, google is wrong! We can’t get a hold of the caretaker so we have a little snoop around and there is an honesty box in the cooking area. $10 each for the night and there are hot showers for a $1, these need a token. Now the camping spot is in order we jump back in the car and head to the bottom to Pouto, it is a long drive and we detour down to Kelleys Bay. Also a possible spot to stop for the night but it isn’t as nice. We reach the bottom and they are building a new wharf down there, boats come from Hellensville way. The sun is on it’s way down so we head back to Glinks Bay, as we hit the top of the hill we see an incredible red sun setting over the water. Absolutely stunning, I am a little annoyed we aren’t on the beach watching it set. I am sure we will see plenty of sunsets soon. At the camp site we have no way of having a hot shower but the hot water tap at the kitchen will fill up my solar shower nicely. There is also a hot water jug, but I don’t need it to be that hot. Rowan and I share the shower and he decides to have a cold hose rinse off then come into the warm. The bag is 7L which is more than enough for the two of us. Rowan cooks us up a curry for dinner while I set up the tent. It isn’t long before I am yawning and hoping into bed. Not bad having the whole place to ourselves.

Monday, we take our time getting moving. Barry the caretaker comes along and takes our money, we get two shower tokens from him. We have eggs on toast for breakfast. 10am we finally head off back to Dargaville. Along the way we pass a tiny building, u-turn to see what on earth it is and find New Zealand’s smallest church. It is a really random, but cool strip of land that someone has turned into hodge podge tourist spot. At the front there is a honesty box, $2 entry. Walk along the strip and you will find unusual sculptures, funny signs, Tane Mahuta’s baby, A weta cave, chickens and much more. A great cheap spot for the family to visit.

We hit the Op Shops and only pick up some Kiwiana coasters. About to be on our way to Kai Iwi Lakes and Rowan checks his emails, oh we can get an appointment with the bank at 2pm in Whangarei, should we go? Yes, we head in the opposite direction towards Whangarei. We get there early and get a quick few op shops in. At the Cooperative Bank we get a chance to talk term deposits, we also want to talk to Kiwibank before making a decision. From Whangarei we head back west to Dargaville, to go through towards Kai Iwi Lakes. We reach our destination about 5pm and try to make a decision on where to camp. There are two spots you can camp, we choose the cheaper one because it has better sites. It is just as lovely as I remember it, I can’t help but think about all the noise the boats must make in summer. Feeling extremely lucky that it is peaceful and quiet. There is a break in the rain and I quickly put up the tent. There is no shower so into the lake we go, Rowan goes in starkers I wear underwear. An older couple take photos of us and call us crazy. The water is cold, and it takes me ages to get fully in. Once I finally get used to the cold it is quite enjoyable. Out of the water and Rowan gets cooking dinner. We get into bed feeling a bit cold still from our swim.

The day is finally here, Rowan comes home! His flight is in at 6pm and I will head in when he says he is through customs. In the car everything goes, I quadruple check to not leave anything behind. A few jobs come up for me to help Nan & Gramps with and I have a load of stuff to drop off at the local charity store. I picked up a key for my sister Emma a week ago that needs delivering, because she is close to the airport I decide to hang out with her in the afternoon. The time goes by fairly quickly and we watch ‘Boy’ which I don’t get to finish. Rowan takes a long time to get through, several planes landed at once and it was chaos. Rowan said the airport was so disorganised it was like flying into a third world country. Picked up and hungry we go to Taco Bell, wouldn’t’t recommend. Just as bad as the American version. At this point it is rather late, we decide to skip camping and go for a bit of luxury at Nan & Gpas Inn. They’re pleasantly surprised to see us.

Saturday, we head north on our road trip. We get as far as Hatfields Beach and stop the car to keep talking. An hour or two later we are still there trying to make a decision on where we are going. It comes down to one main issue, one we have been avoiding for a few months. The decision is made, we can’t go anywhere until we do some research and decide what we are doing with the money in the bank. Before heading back we get some Sushi. Nana laughs as we arrive on her doorstep again. Nana helps us find a few maps for our mission, we sit up in the office looking at properties all over the country. Not long later the answer becomes obvious, we could buy a rental or we could get a similar return with a term deposit. Term deposit it is, we park this until we have a chance to chat with the bank. With that decision made we can relax for the rest of the day.